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Animation Ideas

Today, I worked on the cover mechanics. The protagonist can now “stick” to a wall and walk alongside it, like in most stealth games. I’m using a 3D model that comes with a bunch of game-ready animations, but it doesn’t include stealth animations…so, I had to improvise.

Here, you can see the protagonist sticking to cover. The temporary placeholder animation I’m using is a “nonchalantly leaning up against a wall” pose. This looks much different than the type of animation you would usually see in a stealth game…but I’m starting to wonder if it might actually be appropriate.

The game takes place in public places, and the protagonist is supposed to project the image of an innocent, ordinary girl. Traditional stealth game animations might look out of place here. Perhaps the character should have more “casual” animations – animations that do not draw attention or make her look suspicious. Maybe this particular animation (where she’s leaning up against a wall) is actually something that should stay in the game?

Animations like this one can be connected to the “Yandere Meter” feature. The more violent actions you perform, the more insane the character becomes, until she can no longer fake a casual or innocent demeanor. If the Yandere Meter gets high, then her animations look more “insane” and “creepy”, and more similar to the animations in a traditional stealth game – threatening and predatory. But if you keep the Yandere Meter low, then she retains her self-control, so her animations look more casual and innocent.

What do you think? Leave a comment if you have an opinion on this subject.

I like the idea here. Something like the placeholder animation would definitely work, given the game’s setting, and I definitely like the idea of the character’s demeanor becoming more “Solid Snake” as she becomes less and less sane.

I wonder how the more predatory demeanor would affect bystanders. Like, what happens when other students see her sneaking around like Splinter Cell?

I’ve got some ideas for that. The short-term effect of being spotted while doing something suspicious is that NPCs will stare in your direction for a short while, but the long-term effect is that your reputation in the school will suffer.

With a bad reputation, students will keep a closer eye on you, so it will be more difficult to sneak into rooms where you don’t belong, or steal items to use as weapons.

With a significantly bad reputation, students will suspect that you’re the one behind the mysterious murders / disappearances, and will be paranoid around you; they won’t let you out of their sight if you’re in the same room, and it will be more difficult to attack them with a melee weapon, because they will be on guard around you.

With the worst reputation possible, Senpai-kun will reject you, which is an instant game over. Letting your reputation suffer too much means you’ve automatically failed a mission.

I really like the nonchalant pose. I think that it really fits with the game, as you said. Also the idea that movements and other actions look different depending on the “Yandere Meter” is really nice. Maybe change the eyes as the bar fills as well?

I’ve been considering those ideas for a few days now; they seem like it would really fit with the setting and the premise.

I wonder how to make the character not look suspicious, while crawling around on the floor? Perhaps the player can hold down a button to make the character pretend that she is looking for a contact lens she dropped on the ground…but it would only fool an NPC once or twice before it starts to look suspicious and the character’s reputation suffers.

I think that using the leaning animation is a pretty good idea, as you’ve stated, for when she is not insane/yandere. She is trying to not look suspicious while she is eavesdropping in what is possibly a public place. If you want an idea for an even more casual/unsuspicious animation, I say have her take out a cell phone and fake texting. I’m not sure what should be done to her animation when she goes insane/yandere but her animations of eavesdropping should be different in some way. That’s my opinion anyway.

I was thinking of how to make a crazy animation for texting and then I had the idea of having your phone as an interactable device, since you’re already using it for taking pictures. You could also use it for texting with people or making notes, and having it as an MGS-style walkman bonus.
On that note though, for the crazy animation you could have her getting visibly intense about whatever she’s writing in the phone. Then afterwards you could check your phone and you’d have unsent drafts full of batshit run-on writing.

Also holy shit why is WordPress such a piece of shit when it comes to trying to post a comment?

When it comes to crawling, put her in a ‘normal’ crawl position, with only knees and hands touching the floor. When you stop moving while crawling she pretends to tie her laces, she should be able to move between those two animations fairly easily.

What if the Yandere Meter gets higher the less you see your loved one? It would make only sense: the less you fail at stalking / constantly watching over the loved one, the crazier you get.
You’re a goddamn Yandere in love after all.

Actually, i could even increase if the loved one performs jealousy-triggering actions and you’re watching.

You could try something like little big adventure stances:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUpAXRU-8D8#t=380 (6:20)
So when you’re in public you could use a “casual stance” or something where the character acts like normal and, when you’re trying to sneak around, you use the “stealth stance”.

About the Yandere meter – yes, it should be building as you see other girls make advances on the sempai. But there has to be a way to drain it. If it fills up, she’ll start acting out, being violent on her own. She’ll have to act out, by the player’s command, or commit violent acts. Killing the other girls will provide a big drain on the meter, as will planning. You should also be able to use the meter in a fight, giving you a combat advantage. The thing about activating it though, is that the player loses control of Yandere, and might end up breaking things in front of people, or worse, act out in front of the sempai.

I think, that it is important, that “Game over” is not just a screen, that says it. I fell, that it is important to be able to stalk and chase your love even after you have been found out. Only death or jail, when you are finally caught, should be final “game over”.
I think, that there should be option to kidnap your sempai, after he rejects you. He will attempt to escape or kill you, when desperate enough. This would be fun and satisfactory conclusion with classic yandere drama.

Also, i think, that you need Self-control and happiness meter to counterbalance yandere meter. Happiness will go up after talking/dating/interacting with your sempai, and after elimiating competition. While happiness is high, yandere meter will not rise. Witnessing competition interacting with your sempai will hurt it, according to severity of interaction and yandere-meter, that already developed. Yandere meter cannot be dumped, Self-control meter will start slowly (modified by yandere-meter) draining, when happiness is low. Behavior is modified by amount of self-control meter. It will fill up over time, when happiness is high.

If your sempai rejected you, but there is no evidence against you after you kidnapped him, i think, that you should be able to continue to go to school. But your yandere-meter at this point should be at such a state, that you desperately need to see him and provide him with food, to have your happiness high, because your self-control meter drains really fast.

I definitely agree that a Game Over should be playable, rather than a screen. I want to allow the player to chase Senpai through the woods, waving a butcher knife, screaming “WHY WON’T YOU LOVE ME?” before killing him and then watching Yandere-chan commit suicide. But a sequence like that would be optional.

definitely keep that wall lean pose. this is already a very unique game, so little animations like this add all the more flare to it. my only problem with it is that her facial expression should probably look more suspicious, but i understand that this is still in early development. keep being awesome dev!

100% backing this idea. Especially if by the point she reaches full yandere-mode she starts crouching low, gripping the edge of the wall with both hands, and just kind of peeking those big fuckin eyes over

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I hope you make it so that Yan-Chan can boost her reputation by doing certain tasks, such as helping a student with something, cleaning up a mess someone else made, or even helping during cleaning time.